Chapter 2. The Enlightenment

• Geschiedenis
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 2

4.2 The Enlightenment and the French Revolution

Learning Goal

1. You can give a definition of liberty, equality, natural rights, absolutism, Droit Divin and separation of powers and explain the difference between them.

Today

• The Enlightenment and the scientific revolution
• Video about the Enlightenment (Verlichting) Thinkers
• Reading Chapter 2
• Questions 

Enlightenment

• Means 'Verlichting'
• It is a period in time in which people started asking questions about society
• From these ideas came the democracy that we live in!

Before the Enlightenment

What are we looking at here?

Who talks to God?

Why do bad things happen?

Why is the king, the king?

How do doctors make people better?

What is air and space?

The Enlightenment

Political Ideas

• Why is the king the boss?
• Why do some people have more freedom than others?
• Do people have rights?
• All people?

The Enlightenment
Political Ideas

• Philosophers and other thinkers started to ask questions 
• Not only about the world but also about society, people and God

Video Assignment

• Take a piece of paper
• Watch the video
• Write down all the concepts in the video (liberty, equality etc.)
• Try to write down a definition for each

What does equality mean?

What does liberty mean? What kind of liberty?

Reading!

Read:

• Chapter 4.2
• Write down who Voltaire, Locke and Montesquie were 
• What were their ideas?
• Do exercise 1, 2a and 3

When was the Enlightenment period?

1. 1500-1600
2. 1600-1700
3. 1700-1800
4. 1800-1900

When was the Enlightenment period?

1. 16th century
2. 17th century
3. 18th century
4. 19th century

What was the Enlightenment period?

What was the Scientific Revolution? Explain

What were some important Enlightenment ideas? Write down at least 2

Enlightenment Political ideas

• Natural rights

• Liberty

• Equality

• Separation of powers

Voltaire

Voltaire is for tolerance and religious freedom. Voltaire was a deist: God exists but is no longer active in the world.

  The best system of power, according to Voltaire, was enlightened absolutism. This means that a king who thinks enlightened makes good decisions for the people, because the people are too stupid to make decisions for themselves.

John Locke:

All people have natural rights that nobody can take away, not even a king.

Natural rights

Example: 

• Every person has a right to live life

Montesquieu

• He is famous for his theory of the Separation of Powers (Trias Politica):
• Power should be split up into three seperate parts, being:
• the legislative (making laws), executive (carrying out the laws) and judicial (providing independent judgement) branch.

website

However....

Why was there still inequality in 18th century Europe?

Get to work!

Do exercise:

Source Questions

What do I write?

• If necessary, explain the concept
• In the source I can see………………. / In the source I read that…………..
• This shows that………………..because………………

Statement: During the enlightenment scientists began to use a new method which led to many new discoveries. Use this source to explain this new method and why it was so different from previous centuries.

• Read the question – What are you being asked to do?
• Is there concept I need to explain?
  
• The source – who made it, when, how does it link to the concept?
• Find the important elements of the source that you need to answer the question.

Statement: During the enlightenment scientists began to use a new method which led to many new discoveries. Use this source to explain this new method and why it was so different from previous centuries.

• Write your answer:
• If necessary, explain the concept
• In the source I can see………………. / In the source I read that…………..
• This shows that………………..because………………

Write your answer